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Bleed Positive

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Poor menstrual hygiene caused by lack of education on the issue, persisting taboos and stigma, and poor sanitation infrastructure makes menstrual health a painful experience for women. 

A world which struggles in basic hygiene and sanitation facilities for women during their periods makes the simple biological phenomenon of menstruation complicated. The nexus of stigma, silence, shame and the notions of impurity associated with it makes the world a difficult place to live in.

However, looking the world through the eyes of a woman makes the whole world different than the what it exists as today, and becomes a place where you need not “WHISPER” your menstrual experiences to “STAY FREE” from stigma.

Rajkumari a resident of K-block in Jahangirpuri, Delhi narrated her experience of menstruation, “I have never used sanitary pads in my life. I just use a cloth and bleed the entire day in a room specifically meant for that”.
This is the story of 82% of India’s women who still don’t have the three basic A’s- Accessibility, Availability, Affordability to safe menstrual hygiene and management. And the social stigma associated with menstruation makes any kind of tangible action on these things ineffective as the women themselves don’t feel confident in having healthy and safe periods. Hence, menstruation is a more of a social issue which is being tackled by many stakeholders like NGOs, college students and government agencies coming together for advocacy and awareness.

Especially the onus is on the University of Delhi students to bring about this silent revolution to de-stigmatize menstruation and spread awareness in their local community to promote menstrual hygiene and management. One such initiative was taken by a group of students of Cluster Innovation Centre who worked on a semester-long project on ground level in slums, government schools, children homes and with visually challenged women to promote menstrual hygiene.
A member of the team, Shambhavi Sharma said, “What is needed is a dialogue, the more open you are about the phenomenon the more natural it becomes. So when we went around the JJ colony areas, Sanskar Ashrams, All India Confederation for Blind or the Government school in Roop Nagar as part of our project, our message was clear.

To make them aware of the physiological aspects of menstruation while focusing on one aspect of menstrual hygiene management that is – hygiene promotion and awareness. The reason being that menstrual hygiene related infections are seldom talked about yet prevalent.”

The discussions around menstruation should be normalised including the active participation of the male members to promote menstrual hygiene and management.
Another team member, Kartik Krishnan added, “I believe that men should support women and girls to manage menstruation effectively in the household, community, school, and workplace. A lot of things like not being hesitant or shy in buying a pad for a female friend, family member etc. makes the discussion more gender neutral. Therefore, young boys need to be taught to be more mature towards MHM (Menstrual Hygiene Management).”

However, this is not the complete picture of the scenario. While more than 80% of the female population still struggles for basic menstrual hygiene facilities, it is the irony of the situation that the 18% of the privileged female population who have access to safe menstrual hygiene contribute to 80% of the non-biodegradable menstrual waste. Sustainable menstruation methods are essential for the environment and are more economically cheaper than the prolonged use of sanitary napkins contributing to increased plastic generation.
Arundhati Subhedar, a student of Lady Shri Ram College, took up the initiative to spread awareness on sustainable methods for menstruation through her initiative- BLOOD. “I have been trying to promote eco-friendly periods. Sanitary napkins and tampons are a huge hassle for the environment.

Alternatives for these are menstrual cups and cloth pads, both of which are reusable, comparatively cheaper and healthier for a person” said Arundhati.
Educated and well-informed women of India need to make smarter choices keeping these things in mind.

Therefore, the biological phenomenon of menstruation incorporates several social, economic and environmental factors with it. Modern and scientific methods have to be adopted and their accessibility should be ensured as it is the basic right of every woman.
Today, on the menstrual hygiene management day let us take it upon ourselves to spread awareness on safe menstrual hygiene and management in our own community and help every woman to have a HAPPY PERIOD in its true essence.

Feature Image Credits: medium

Sriya Rane
[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

Reviewing an Engineering Dramedy from the eyes of a Humanities student

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Here is the review of an emotional roller coaster about IIT JEE aspirants by a regular Humanities student from Delhi University (DU).

Art is the imitation of real life, but rarely do we see reality and practicality displayed to its core. Our Ranbir Kapoor-like heroes are always running after their artistic ambitions, escaping the brutality of a 9-5 job. The students we meet are either geniuses like Rancho, stuck in the wrong space like Farhan (3 Idiots) or pining for love like Krish (2 States).

Seldom do we meet a Vaibhav or a Meena or even an Uday. These are the close specimens to real life students, gripped with encompassing student pressure in the harsh world of ‘Kota Factory’.

I would call Kota Factory, The Viral Fever’s (TVF) ‘s best creation after Pitchers. It is subtle yet unnerving. It resonates with everyone regardless of their background or professional choices. Maybe, because Kota Factory tells a story which we have either suffered or escaped. Our society has been conditioned in a way, that kids are set to become Engineers or Doctors, if not then Lawyers or Civil Servants, and for all of us who end up choosing Arts, we become the escapees who gave up on hard work and ‘Maths’.

We have all seen at least one person holed up in their homes all day, learning the Periodic Table by heart, passionate to get into IIT. For some, it is our siblings, for others, its might be our schoolmates. The struggle these kids go through is familiar to us all.

So, calling Kota Factory a show constricted to one set of audience, who have undergone these struggles is unfair to its makers. Yes, it might make that set of people relatively more emotional but it works for everyone. In the end Kota Factory is an example of a well-made show.

It has a brilliant cast, poignant cinematography, responsible direction and above all a heart-stealing script. Even the smallest of moments and characters leave impact.

It opens with a coloured montage of an advertisement about Maheshwari Classes, the top-ranking Coaching Institute in Kota for IIT-JEE aspirants. This is the type of advertising we are all familiar with, the one that has a voiceover by the overachiever of their passing batch to employ and attract more students for their next year’s batch in the capitalist economy. Things become interesting when in the first 40 seconds the colour fades away leaving the dark and gloomy black and white format which evokes a sense of emptiness in Vaibhav’s life at Kota in the next 5 episodes till he comes back to Maheshwari.

After getting rejected at Maheshwari, Vaibhav moves to Prodigy Classes. The journey between Maheshwari and Prodigy is highlighted with a monologue by the auto driver mourning the loss of an earlier city which has now just turned into a factory with huge ambitious coaching centres, student mess at every corner and PG’s and hostels on every street. He says “Big Boss dekhte ho?” when Vaibhav replies with an affirmative, he laughingly responds with a “Yahan koi nahin dekhta”.

This is the form of subtle commentary writers at TVF are masters in. This dialogue highlights the lack of childhood luxuries, students at Kota partake in, due to immense pressure of completing their syllabus, practice questions, DPPs and sheets at least thrice.

Prodigy Classes accepts Vaibhav, with full fees for the first and second year. With the manager of Prodigy Classes, Deepak, Kota Factory introduces its viewers to education as a money minting institute for many in Kota. At the same time, we meet the lovable all-time favourite TVF constant and the very dependable ‘Jeetu’, or as he is here called the student’s beloved ‘Jeetu Bhaiya’. He is an addition to the list of cool and life changing teachers of the industry standing along the likes of Aamir Khan in Taare Zameen Par. The first lesson he teaches to his new students is to come find him if there is any problem, be it personal or professional. From there, the five-episode series deals with education, friendship and romance. The time run of each episode gets lesser, but the content remains strong and keeps one hooked.

Another heartfelt character is Meena. He might be the most simplistic economically backward class representation I have seen in a long time.

Unlike Gully Boy’s Murad, he doesn’t have a humongous “aukaat se upar ka sapna” He is a true IIT aspirant at heart, who will study through an earthquake and whose economic backwardness takes a setback against his genius. His emotional sincerity and sensitivity bring out friendship in a new light because like a true Kota studyholic “Dosti revision thodi hi hai, jo karni hi hai.”

There are innumerable metaphorical shots in the show, the most prominent one being the overhead shots in the first episode. Throughout the episode we see Vaibhav fighting against all odds to get to a better batch than A10, he is running against time and his fellow students so we see him wearing a grey hoodie running opposite to the uniform wearing systemised students twice in the episode. While, in the end of the episode, once he gets to batch A5, he is also wearing that dark uniform, walking along the kids, moving in the same direction, and a part of the rat and mouse chase. Here, the camera moves upwards over the cage-like structure of the building, locking the kids in the claustrophobic and inescapable space of Kota and its stress. This form of shooting continues throughout the show where the students always seem constricted in their space, stuck without an escape.

The show nails the female scarcity in the competition of becoming an IITian. Meenal, a student from the batch A5 is the ‘girls’ topper at Prodigy which implies that there are absolutely zero female species in the first four batches of the institute. Uday’s girlfriend Shivangi is a medical aspirant because her father is an engineer, despite the fact that she hates Biology she is studying to crack NEET. Another notable plot device used by the writers is Meenal’s exit.

Last, she reveals that she is actually prepping for Columbia, Yale and NYU to the unassuming-most- probably-already-deciding-their-baby-names Meena, whose heart breaks at this revelation. He couldn’t digest that his two loves: IIT and Meenal are not in the same direction. Post this, Meenal vanishes, which implies that she is no longer in the race to IIT. She is an outsider and her presence isn’t threatening anymore.

Every episode brings an emotional turmoil to its surface. The mother’s minimal presence in the second episode almost drove me to tears. Jeetu’s monologue from the first and Uday’s rant from the last episode respectively are equally powerful. Meena and Meenal’s innocence and Vaibhav and Vartika’s naïve study dates are delightful.

If the show had one drawback, that has to be the constant product placement of the show’s sponsors in every episode. It’s ironical as the show itself mocks the advertising and capitalism of the JEE coaching sector.

Kota Factory comes with a cautionary warning for those who are prepping for IIT-JEE currently because despite its comedic tonality, it highlights the pressure and competition over and over again.

As Jeetu Bhaiya reinforces, IIT is not a destination for the aspirants, it becomes their life goal, their only solace and only dream. For two years these kids constantly work themselves to the ground to achieve that dream, and when they are unable to reach there, it turns into a life-long trauma of a broken heart which takes years to heal.

Image Credits: IMDB

Sakshi Arora
[email protected]

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Campus Central

Top Societies of DU Fest Season 2019: ECHO of Jesus and Mary College for Western Music

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A thing that brings all the aspirants of the University of Delhi in this country to a sense of fascination is the University’s engagement with the performing arts. With a plethora of opportunities in fields like dance, music, dramatic, students are exposed to the discipline and the adventure of the arts that interest them. DU Beat brings to you the first of the six installations of its analysis of the top society in DU. The hard work was persistent, and the competition heartening. Let’s delve into who made the cut and how.

Methodology

The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions that could be won at various events. The society that secured the 1st position was awarded 3 points, the society that secured the 2nd position was awarded 2 points, and finally, the society securing the 3rd position was awarded 1 point.

33 college fests were considered in the making of the tally. The selection of these 33 colleges was based upon an analysis done by speaking with members of numerous college societies, and tracking the fests they considered most prestigious. The considered colleges are:

Sri Aurobindo College (Morning)
Aryabhatta College
College of Vocational Studies
Dyal Singh College
Daulat Ram College
Delhi College of Arts and Commerce
Gargi College
Guru Gobind Singh College
Hansraj College
Hindu College
Indraprastha College for Women
Jesus and Mary College
Kamala Nehru College
Keshav Mahavidyalaya College
Kirori Mal College
Lady Irwin College
Lady Shri Ram College
Mata Sundri College
Maitreyi College
Miranda House College
Moti Lal Nehru College Morning
PGDAV College- Morning
Ramjas College
Ramanaujan College
Ram Lal Anand College
Satyawati College
Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies
Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College
Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College
Sri Venkateswara College
Shaheed Bhagat Singh College
Shivaji College
Shri Ram College of Commerce


Top Three Positions

ECHO, the western music society of Jesus and Mary College, has won the best society accolade this time with 36 points. Euphony of Gargi College followed at the second position with 23 points, and the third position was tied between the western music society of Lady Shri Ram College (WMS-LSR) and Sound Machine of St. Stephen’s College with 15 points.

Points Tally: Western Music

The Winning Society at a Glance

ECHO, the western music society of Jesus and Mary College, is known to be a colossal army of 22 talented and strong women who thrive to share every inch of their soul through their musical oeuvre.

Jannis Joe, President, expressed her delight to DU Beat-  “It’s been one hell of a ride, and we would happily buy tickets to it again. Leading this dream team has been a complete pleasure and honour. I’m so grateful to have such passionate members who not only put their heart and soul into our piece, but also do justice to our vision. Honestly, I never could have asked for a better platform to echo our love for music. Thank you for giving me a larger than life experience.”

“Every member has literally put her blood, sweat, and tears into the making of this piece over months of diligent perseverance, right from the arrangement, to every part and every harmony. Apart from the wins, personally, our chief momentous achievement was the success of teamwork and the complete cathartic satisfaction of expressing ourselves while living every moment of our experience through our music, knit together as one. Thank you for this journey on such a brilliant platform,” shared Sara Joseph, Vice President.

They added, “This fest season was absolutely amazing and memorable. We are deeply touched and humbled by the tremendous response we got this year, and would like to thank and congratulate all the other teams for putting on a good show and fighting the good fight.”

Performing Members

Jannis Joe (President)

Sara Joseph (Vice President)

Akhila Sarah Mathew

Alisha Abigail Mohanty

Anisha Mathew

Anukriti Menon

Ashnita Ashwin

Blessy Jacob

Crystal Dessa

Dhanya Kuriakose

Faith Samuel

Hema Georgina Biswas

Khushi Pallavi

Michelle Masih

Prathibha John

Rency Verghese

Rhea Anthony

Samantha Elizabeth D’Cruz

Sanjana Kishore

Sharon George

Shincy Sara John

Srisha Sarkar

Winners Tally:

Out of the colleges included in the tally, ECHO secured victorious positions at the following college fests:

1st: Dyal Singh College, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Hansraj College, Kamala Nehru College, Kirori Mal College, Lady Shri Ram College, Miranda House, Sri Venkateswara College

2nd: College of Vocational Studies, Gargi College, Moti Lal Nehru College (Morning), Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

3rd: Hindu College, Indraprastha College for Women, Ramjas College, Shri Ram College of Commerce

Data Analysis and Compilation by:

Shivani Dadhwal

[email protected]

Anushree Joshi

[email protected]

Feature Image Designed by:

Palak Mittal for DU Beat

[email protected]

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Campus Central

Sexual Harassment at SSCBS’s Students’ Farewell Party

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Under heavy alcohol influence, a third-year student, Moksh Nair, was accused of harassing seven third-year girls at a farewell party. Their college took a swift decision, ensuring that action was taken.

On the night of 16th April, around 70 students of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS) gathered to celebrate the end of their college life. This unofficial graduation party took place near Gurgaon and involved alcohol. This celebration turned sour when Moksh Nair, a third-year student from the college, under heavy alcohol influence, harassed around seven third-year girls at the party, according to the sources.

The Instagram stories of one of the victims brought to light the occurrences of the night. A statement issued by the Students’ Council, SSCBS, revealed the same in an unofficial meeting. The Council briefed the teachers and administration regarding the matter and how it was to be dealt with. From thereon, Poonam Verma, the Principal, herself headed the committee which handled the matter.

Contacted by DU Beat, the Principal said, “It’s a sad affair. We have been discouraging the students to go out and have such parties. Though as an institution we are not truly responsible as students do turn out and say that ‘they are all adults’, and also (because) these incidents take place outside the college premises.” She added that despite all this, they will always be protective of their students just as parents are in a family; however old the children might get. “In any case, these issues need to be handled at the family level as well.”

Screenshot_20190524-224019
Image Credits: Students’ Council, SSCBS

The girls involved decided to drop any legal charges and consented the committee, including the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), to decide the fate of Nair. It was allegedly decided that the accused would not graduate along with his batch and would have to repeat the year; however, the same has not been confirmed by the admin. Further, his placement was also evoked reportedly. Although the steps taken remain subject to confirmation, it reflects how the college authorities were willing to take apt decisions and handled such a matter with sensitivity.

In a study it was revealed that one in every four women have faced harassment in Delhi University, it further went on to reveal how not even half of the students are aware of the ICC. A senior officer from Maurice Nagar police station, on speaking to a national daily said, “We receive a lot of written complaints. However, due to pressure from the college administration, the students end up taking back their complaints most of the time.”

 

DU Beat tried contacting Moksh for a comment, but he was unavailable for the same.

Measures should be taken to prevent such acts from happening. Colleges should make students aware of the repercussions of such behaviour. They should also spread awareness about the bodies and authorities responsible for such cases, along with an approachable environment to encourage students to step forward. Bystanders or fellow students aware of such happenings should not view this as a ‘personal matter’ and speak up for the person suffering. Such issues should not be viewed as a matter of reputation but an individual matter to be handled with utmost sensitivity and care.

 

Feature Image Credits: Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

 

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Campus Central

Year end: Protests that shook DU this academic year

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Delhi University has an active atmosphere of protests almost every other week or month. Hence, protests have almost become a part of DU life! Here’s a throwback at some impactful protests that shook DU.
Library Union
Deriving from a letter to the VC (Vice Chancellor) the Delhi University and Colleges Library Employees Association (DUCLEA) protested early in August to initiate the implementation of the Recruitment Rules Review Committee Rules and the ACP/MACP Pay Scale Committee Report. A lot of other demands like removal of library attendance system from college libraries were also raised. However, the familiar stalling of rightful demands has led to the stagnation of the report for over 18 (now 26) months.
year end 1Featured Image Credits: Namrata Randhawa for DU Beat
DSJ 
Constantly headlining the campus news flash, Delhi School.of Journalism has seen one of its most charged years given to resistance, as yet. The struggles of DSJ students to attain a reasonable quality of education by requesting the concerned authorities to justify the hefty fees were multiple but in vain; ineffective due to  delay in “administrative/authoritative approval”. A month later in September, 2018, inability to fulfill the previously promised valid concerns of the students led to another round of suspension of classes and oppression of the crusaders protesting in the DSJ campus.
year end 2
Feature Image Credits: Neerav
Young India Adhikar March (YIAM)
Inspired by the Kisan Mukti March, this march saw students from all over the country marching from the Red Fort to Parliament Street on the 7th of February.
year end 3Featured Image Credits: Jaishree Kumar for DU Beat
People’s March
Barely a fortnight after YIAM, students, teachers and unions marched in solidarity from Mandi house to Parliament Street to protect public higher funded education. The march was led by Delhi University Teachers’ Union (DUTA) along with various other organisations.
year end 4Featured Image Credits: Adithya Khanna for DU Beat
V-Tree Protests at Hindu College 
On 14 February, massive protests erupted in an attempt to disrupt, if not stop, the annual ‘Virgin Tree pooja’ tradition of Hindu College. Members of Pinjra Tod, SFI and Hindu College Progressive Front jointly protested and clashed against supporters of the pooja, mainly students of the Boys’ Hostel. The protests, widely covered by the media, had led to a few scuffles.
year end 5Featured Image Credits- Prateek Pankaj for DU Beat
Mathematics Department Protests 
Mass failures in the examinations for MSc Mathematics had rocked the department. They received their results on 8 February and had started protesting on 14 February. The protesters demanded to be shown copies of the answer sheets along with an independent investigation, among other things. Various other departments in addition to the Mathematics Department and organisations like AISA, SFI, KYS, and DSU joined the protests.
year end 6Featured Image Credits- Anoushka Sharma for DU Beat
DRC hostel protests
On the 23rd of February, protests broke out at the hostel gate of Daulat Ram College after mishaps at the college hostel and the rampant culture of hatred and sexism. The protesters demanded basic rights which were being violated by the DRC hostel board.  The fight continued on to the next day, the 24th, when residents marched from their hostel gate towards the Vice Chancellor’s office and staged a sit down.
year end 7
Featured Image Credits- Pragati Thapa for DU Beat
DUTA Protests 
The Delhi University Teachers’ Association had carried out sustained protests since the beginning of the year and even before that, against issues like the 13 point roster system, privatisation and the needs of ad-hoc teachers. Human chains, candlelight marches, ‘total strikes’ and a ‘Bharat Bandh’ were few of the measures adopted by the association and its supporters. The protests succeeded in bringing an ordinance by the government on 8 March to restore the old 200 point roster system.
year end 8
Featured Image Credits-  DU Beat Archives

Cover Image Credits- Pragati Thapa for DU Beat

 

Kartik Chauhan

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Jaishree Kumar

 

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Campus Central

What College Taught Me: From the Eyes of a First-Year Student

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With this semester, the first-year of college comes to an end for many students. Let’s take a look at the learnings of a first-year student.

  • Exposure and Experience

The first year of college is an eye-opener to the real world, it gives you a view of adulthood and brings along a sense of independence. It doesn’t come easy to many, makes life difficult for a few, and lonely for others. But what it does give you is exposure and experience to cure that gaping hole of leaving your home, friends, school, and your city behind. An outstation student of the University said “Yeh Delhi ne toh meri Lucknow ki saari Nawabi hi nikal di, Kahan main vaha maze mein ghoomti thi, aur yahan auto vaalon se dus-dus rupaye ke liye ladti hoon (Delhi has taken away all the Lucknow royalty from me, I used to a carefree child. Here, in Delhi, I have to fight with the auto-rickshaw drivers for INR 10)” She agrees that college life has transformed her to become a better version of herself. She is able manage her finances well.

  • Friends and Family

Himanika Agarwal from Gargi College commented, “Everybody used to tell me that you never find real friends in college, even I used to believe that. But Glass Eye, the Film Making Society of Gargi College has given me some of the best friends I have ever had, who have now become my family.” In the first-year itself, you find your close group of friends who become your family and confidants, be it your classmates or the members of your college society, college helps you to find people who you remember all throughout.

  • Fests and Euphoria

The cultural fests organised by the University of Delhi (DU) colleges is another enlightening experience for the students. Fresh out of taking the first semester examinations, students attend fests with their ‘college gang’ looking up wide eyed at the glittering lights of concerts and competitions, breathing in the chaos, and adapting to the crowds.

My first-year, personally, gave me The Local Train, another staple name associated with the DU fests. This musical band and their brand of music, their lyrics, and the performances are worth it. Another student added, “I can easily say that my checklist for a happening college life ticked off with after attending Vishal-Shekhar’s concert at Mecca, the cultural fest of Hindu College.”

  • The ability to study overnight

College is not only fun and games, academics also play an important role. This involves projects, class presentations, reviews, internals, and exams. These conclusively teach every student to study or make a presentation a night before the submission. This might be unhealthy, but it is a fact.

  • A new perspective

Above all, for me, the first-year of college worked as a stepping stone in the process of unlearning patriarchal norms and misogynistic conditioning, we as naïve little kids were subjected to, throughout our childhood. Classroom discussions with strong opinionated teachers, debates with your peers and seniors, revolutionary texts and readings, interactions about the rights of the LGBTQ community, these have changed my perspective for the better. Looking back, I can now remember instances in the past which were problematic, but I didn’t realise earlier. These realisations are my achievements of gaining new and better ideologies and of becoming a more ‘woke’ individual.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

 

Sakshi Arora

[email protected]

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Campus Central

When You Are Not in Any Society

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Imagine not joining any society in college: would things be different? How would you make friends or create experiences? See college life from the eyes of someone who is not in any society!

The University of Delhi (DU) is prestigious for several things, including its societies and co-curricular activities. Societies are sought after, and the students look forward to joining these. Students in these societies are deeply passionate and spend hours every day practicing before and after college, going to competitions, missing classes. With so much time spent in one place, it is inevitable that you find friends and create experiences there.

But it is unfair to generalise these experiences; for many students, college is simply being able to have the gift of time and freedom. They can invest these wherever they want. They could miss a class or attend all, they could make friends slowly and organically from their own class or simply stick to their school friends, and they could make spontaneous plans after college because there is no practice or spend hours talking in their usual favourite spot in college. College fests are a fun time as they get to attend it with their college friend circles.

A common factor that all students who were not in any society talked about was the commitment that societies demand. The practices during college, missing of classes, hectic schedule, extra work, and drained energy every day were reasons to not join. Although they also struggled with notes and assignments, and not all of them attended every single class or kept 100% attendance, but they simply prioritised academics or a better mental and physical health.

Sumati from Kamala Nehru College comments, “I am pursuing Psychology without having studied psychology in school, so I had a tough first year and I only wanted to invest time here. I agree societies help people live college life to the fullest, but they can also put a huge burden or stress.”

Sanyukta Golaya of Indraprastha College for Women commented, “When I joined college, I was never quite as interested or inclined towards societies, the way I was towards my course. I was very clear that any time that I had after my classes would be spent making detailed notes and reading up for the lectures, I had the next day. I didn’t care whether not wanting to be involved in society work made me come off as a bore- I freely choose what I wanted to do with my spare time, and till date, I’m very content with my decision. I’ve managed to make friends, I’m happy with the way I’ve turned out in college, and I couldn’t be bothered whether others believed it to be ‘productive’.”

This perfectly brings out the false ideas of productivity that exist today. Contrary to the popular belief, these people are also able to pursue their passion outside of college through dance or music classes, writing for student magazines, going for MUNs, etc. Many of them find a way to hone their skills and follow their passion without investing their energy in any college society.

Being someone in the debating society, I know that a society can grow on you and you cannot imagine a life without it. Upon speaking to several students, I realised how life in its absence is also very special. Very few students said that they found college boring and, finding college life dull or lonely, they now look forward to joining something next year and the experiences it will bring. Others also talked about the perspective that having observed college for a while and settling in, they now felt ready to join something. But all students were happy with the choices they made, the effort they put in academics or outside and with the routine they chose in college.

Featured Image Credits: DU Beat

Shivani Dadhwal

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DUB Speak

Sexism and the City

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TRIGGER WARNING- A certain video is discussed in this article which might be disturbing for some.

 

On 30th April, a video showing just another instance of judgemental remarks based on sexism and misogyny went viral. The video was shared by Shivani Gupta, on her Instagram, showing an elderly lady saying that she (Gupta) will get raped if she continues wearing short skirts. When Shivani’s two friends arrived at the scene to their friend’s rescue, the lady went on to say that these two also might get raped just for being rebellious.

These are the parts that the woke and conscious side of the internet shared mostly. However, towards the end, we also see the young women yelling at this lady, asking her ‘Have you been raped?’.

A few hours later, Instagram took this video down and this is what went down amongst people.

One school of thought feels that sharing this video online was the right move, and this would embarrass the ‘bullying’ woman, and set an example for people. Yes, misogyny is ingrained in Indian society but now it’s high time we get done with it.

On the other hand, there are also people who feel this was an extreme move and they are troubled with the latter parts of the video. They say ‘Bullying the bully isn’t the right thing to do’.

Yes, I do condemn that messaging mean texts to that elderly lady and commenting remarks like “You yourself should get raped.” However, staying silent and having the normalised attitude isn’t going to help anyone.

This instance isn’t in solitude. It can be attached to tons of other incidents where women in India have been subjected to mean public remarks. Yes, the video might be nothing new as such casual sexism is common. Still, does that mean we should just see this incident as nothing and turn a blind eye towards it?

Today, I, being in the capital city, being a student at the University of Delhi, can have opinions on anything and everything in our country. I can even talk on problems that rural women face but I can hardly do much, from my privileged safe space in this city. However, I can still be vocal about the indecent behaviour that the inhabitants of my city are facing. Sometimes, being calm just does not help.

If people are sharing this video, they aren’t just sharing it for the sake of it. They are sharing it to show that this is a part of the bigger picture and we all need to collectively condemn this negative picture. It irks me when I see friends and peers pass comments like “The girl is just an attention seeker” and “yeh toh hota rehta hai” (Such things keep on happening) when such cases are brought in the mainstream. Unfortunately, I cannot even call them out right now as that will be categorised as unethical journalism.

There have been viewers of the video, who are somewhere on the middle ground, too. “I agree, the aggression and the boldness are required so that no one can come to a woman and tell her that she should get raped. At the same time, we need to think twice before we reveal someone’s identity, body shame them and potentially ruin their life,” says Shania Mohapatra, a student from Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC).

While yes, hatred should not be propagated, but people should also understand that we can’t stay silent with our thoughts bottled up like we’re living in an Orwellian society. After some stubbornness, even I agree that the lady’s face could have been blurred before uploading the video. In the video itself, one can hear the girls saying that the ‘problematic aunty’ deserves to be raped in those kapde (clothes) itself, which again is equally rude and problematic.

One day later, mainstream publications shared the video obviously as it’s news now. And it does sicken me when people are posting comments like “Yes, these girls deserve to be taught a lesson. If we don’t check, they’ll dress in bras in public.” At the same time, I finally gave up my stubbornness and had a gloomy look as I read comments from the other side, comments like “Someone should attack the aunty just for that double chin and eye bags.”

“The one thing that is bothering me about the video and the subsequent criticism it received is that the blame of cyberbullying of the “aunty” is being put on the girl who shared the video. Saying that the girl is responsible for the mental harassment of the lady, sounds like victim-blaming,” Niharika Dabral, another CIC student took a different stand. “Besides, in this case, the girls and the aunty had the same power equation,” she adds, “…as they both spoke English and looked like they belonged to the same class, so it’s not as though some powerful person is going after a smaller one.”

Whatever be your viewpoint, this instance can’t be ignored just because it’s normal, as a few are doing. Following the same mentality, we shouldn’t even talk about the innumerable individual cases of creeps staring at women in the metro like it’s their birthright. Why? Because this keeps on happening, right? This isn’t a call for being an extreme vigilante but this is just a call for being vocal.

Whether you feel Instagram made the right decision by removing that video or whether you feel sharing this video with some sense of rebellion was needed, you need to be vocal about it. Yes, almost every social discussion ends up having multiple views but we need to be vocal in discussing these views to come to a solution – if there’s a solution.

 

Image Credits: sunkissedshitzu

 

Shaurya Singh Thapa

[email protected]

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Campus Central

Importance of Developing Emotional Quotient in College

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Here’s why developing emotional quotient in college going students is extremely important.

School years are the formative years of one’s life which makes an individual ready to go and face the world outside. But, it is college years which makes him/her able to surpass the bottlenecks of life and make him/her workplace ready.

College and workplace environment pose a series of difficult challenges in personal, academic, and professional aspects of one’s life. Handling those challenges require not only one’s technical acumen but also emotional intelligence. Ability to tackle all the problems without losing calm, analysing the situation objectively, and resolving conflicts are some of the important skills to possess if one intends to work with a large set of people.

Thus, developing emotional quotient (EQ) in college students becomes extremely pertinent. Emotional intelligence forms the juncture at which cognition and emotion meet, it facilitates our capacity for resilience, motivation, empathy, reasoning, stress management, communication, and our ability to read and navigate a plethora of social situations and conflicts. All of these skills are what drives one towards growth and success. No wonder, EQ is the seventh most important prerequisite while hiring people for a job.

College life comes with its own set of emotional challenges and to smartly sail through them is something not everyone is capable of. Working in a team and leading one can become extremely challenging if one doesn’t have emotional intelligence high enough to understand oneself and others, or resolve any conflict that arises.

If you think that EQ comes with maturity and experiences, then you are mistaken. EQ can also be developed consciously through training. University of Delhi has also recognized its significance and has introduced soft skills in its curriculum as a skill enhancement subject.

It is important for an enhanced awareness towards the importance of development of emotional quotient among students along with other academic and technical skills.

Feature Image Credits: Corporate Finance Institute

 

Shreya Agrawal

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Beyond the Obvious of Delhi University Colleges

2019 So Far: Exploring the First Trimester of the Year

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With the first three months of the year gone, let us look back at how these months went ahead for us and what will the rest of the year have in store for us.

In the blink of an eye, I remember dosing off to sleep at 4 a.m. on 1st January, after all the New Year wishes were attended to, and now as the fourth month of this year has started, I simply wonder how and where did these three months go.

The first trimester of the year, for any student of University of Delhi (DU) is absorbed in the fest season, either in attending it or as a participant running every other day for competitions in some or the other hosting college. The intensity of the course takes a back seat with the incessant strikes, which we callously enjoy, without truly acknowledging their purpose.

I would like to ask a simple question- all of us make resolutions, but, do we even stick to them? While I genuinely don’t believe in the concept of making resolutions particularly when the calendar flips the date to 01/01, I believe any time can be the perfect time to turn over a new leaf. Without digressing further, let me get back to my question. What is the strategic realism to these resolutions, as I feel hardly a few make it past the first week of their marked promises, before narrowing back to their old lifestyle. Annie Rana, a literature student of Maitreyi College feels, “The fact that every week, month or situation asks out of us different ways to react or behave, so keeping resolution as a sole means to discipline, won’t really help.”

As every year has something or the other in it, something to look forward to, 2019 has so far witnessed a lot in these three months. Talking about the personal, national and the international front, we have faced a tough three months to begin with, and while the next trimester has already started, the election fury will reign over as the midtown madness this summer. The next trimester will look forward to ‘voting for the first time’ for a majority of us, or having to take career related choices, or entering a new path of life, every demarcation of the calendar has been split with a beautiful finesse.

“Every month, I track my growth. Some acts are bound to be childish, but I tend to see a progression in the maturity,” says Heena, a student of Maitreyi College as she looks at her journey in 2019 so far. To map out your journey is a really important thing and when most of us miss out on this, a sense of existential crisis hits us. To look back when I started college, the change from 2017 to 2019, not just as a big bracket of 730 days, but as the mental growth which chartered into me is also something which can be represented as a progressing draft, in the fourth quadrant!

The sentiment that each year holds is also important. As I look at the batch which will graduate this year, 2019 marks as this primal year which will witness a major change in them, and while the three months which buzzed past us, have gone, the sinking of them in the memory and action won’t. It was a series of lasts. Talking to my seniors I could figure out how every competition, every fest, every department activity associated with the college, would be their last, and with that emotion flaring in, the efforts, the smile and the hidden tears were a mixed bag of emotions through the entire three months. As this month will go ahead as the ‘vidaai’ or the farewell time for them, the bucket-full of memories they take on with them is sublime.

To 2019 so far, you haven’t been particularly kind, and I don’t expect you to get sweet and mellow, anytime soon. Conclusions are sweeter, cathartic. I have been exhausted and drained completely, and in these three months, the motivation has been sucked out of me, too bad the exams are right around the corner. As the summer will settle in with the hope of getting off a daily routine, i.e. college, I will find a relief (I suppose so),  from the experience which was- the daily running to Sadar Bazaar, as the department and college fests lined up, being on the phone 24×7, for sponsorships, scripting my real conversations as well! To not being able to take time out with the friends and sit in the comfort or solace of each other like we do as a routine, to finding the infinitesimal balance between studies, society, interning and working in a media house, to forming mental ticks in my mind as the work load started gliding away, one after the other, swiftly, to sitting back and sipping tea in nostalgia and having the worst phase of constant bouts of low self-esteem and worth, to finding the phase of confidence back, I can say these three months took a lot from me and gave me back a bitter sweet collection of everything.

To 2019, I promised myself this year will be a sole devotion to travel and exploration- the physical and the mental aspect of this duality. And as every month, a new travel destination finds its spot in my heart and I set forth to plan it out, every place I visit, makes a spiritual connection within me and with this hope, the year will progress with its own set of ups and downs which I will look forward to with an open heart.

Image credits: DU Beat

Avnika Chhikara

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